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Rep. John Conyers on Tuesday admitted to settling a sexual harassment claim with a former employee in 2015, first reported by BuzzFeed, but forcefully denied accusations that the staffer was fired because she wouldn’t give in to his sexual advances. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images

First House Democrat calls on Conyers to resign

Two other Democrats said the veteran Michigan lawmaker should step down from his post as ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee.

AHouse Democrat on Wednesday called on Rep. John Conyers to resign following multiple sexual harassment allegations, while two other Democrats urged him to step down from his ranking member slot on the House Judiciary Committee.

Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.) said Conyers should resign from Congress immediately, making her the first Democratic lawmaker to publicly call for the end of his decades-long tenure.

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"Rep. John Conyers should resign. I've reviewed the allegations against him, and they're as credible as they are repulsive," Rice said in a statement. "Whether it happened 40 years ago or last week, settlement or no settlement, Democrat or Republican — harassment is harassment, assault is assault."

Separately, Reps. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) and Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) said Conyers should give up his post as the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary panel but both stopped short of calling for his resignation.

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Meeks, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, said it “would not be appropriate” for Conyers (D-Mich.) to stay on as the panel's top Democrat while congressional investigators look into multiple accusations of sexual harassment.

“He should step down as the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee and be subject to this ethics investigation so it can be determined whether or not there’s a practice or pattern,” Meeks said on CNN.

In a taped interview set to air on C-SPAN, Grijalva, co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, also said Conyers should step down from the post.

“As agonizing as it might be for all of us, the ranking member needs to step down at the minimum,” said Grijalva. “And then the chips will fall from there.”

The House Ethics Committee on Tuesday announced it was opening an investigation into Conyers, the longest serving member of the House, after he confirmed he had paid a settlement to a former staffer who claimed he sexually harassed her.

Rice, Meeks and Grijalva are the first Democrats to demand Conyers resign or step down from his Judiciary post. Other Democrats, including House Democratic leaders, issued statements saying the Ethics Committee should look into the “disturbing” allegations against Conyers but did not call for him to step down from the committee or resign from Congress.

Grijalva also called for more disclosure of sexual harassment settlements in Congress.

"I think that we've passed the tipping point, whether it is in the boardroom, whether it is on the plant floor... or in the halls of Congress and government, any government level," Grijalva said. "At some point I think those settlements need to be talked about."

Conyers on Tuesday admitted to settling a sexual harassment claim with a former employee in 2015, first reported by BuzzFeed, but forcefully denied accusations that the staffer was fired because she wouldn’t give in to his sexual advances. The former aide was paid more than $27,000 out of Conyers’ office, made to look like a severance payment, to settle the allegations.

"I expressly and vehemently denied the allegations made against me, and continue to do so," Conyers said in a statement. "My office resolved the allegations — with an express denial of liability — in order to save all involved from the rigors of protracted litigation."

A spokesman for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) declined to comment Wednesday on whether Conyers should step down from the Judiciary Committee when asked by POLITICO. Spokespeople for House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) and Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) all also declined or did not respond to a request for comment.

The second accuser, who worked as a scheduler in Conyers’ office, filed a lawsuit earlier this year that was later dropped after the judge refused to seal the case. Maria Reddick described Conyers as a “habitual offender” in the court documents, saying he was “repeatedly coming to her desk, rubbing on her shoulders, kissing her forehead, making inappropriate comments, covering and attempting to hold her hand.”

If Conyers did give up his Judiciary spot, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), the second most senior member on the committee, would likely fill the vacancy at least temporarily. Both Nadler and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), another senior committee member, have been quietly angling for months to eventually replace Conyers, 88.

Conyers has long been the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, serving as chairman from 2007- 2011.

While House Democratic leaders have tread cautiously since the allegations broke, privately the news has roiled the Democratic Caucus. Conyers, the "dean of the House" and a Civil Rights icon, still has significant sway in the caucus. And he is a founding member of the CBC, arguably the most powerful voting bloc within the caucus.

Even before the recent allegations, questions have long swirled about how long Conyers would lead Democrats on the Judiciary panel, particularly if they take back the House in 2018 and are given full control of policing the Trump administration.

Everyone thinks “he should go” but no one is sure how to force Conyers out, one Democratic aide said. Multiple members and staffers told POLITICO they don’t think Pelosi and other Democratic leaders will call for Conyers to resign unless given approval — evenly quietly — by the CBC.

But so far the CBC has shown no signs of trying to force Conyers to step aside. CBC Chairman Cedric Richmond (D-La.) endorsed an ethics investigation into Conyers on Tuesday but nothing more.

Meeks did not say he thinks Conyers should resign but said that could change if more accusers come forward.

“There is a procedure in place currently and he’s agreed to go through the Ethics Committee,” Meeks said. “If in fact there is a continuing scenario of individuals coming forth in the same manner than we may have a different conversation.”

While Rice is the first Democrat to explicitly call for Conyers' resignation, Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) hinted at as much on Tuesday, telling CNN he thinks Conyers should step down if the allegations are found to be true. "Frankly, if I was in his place, I would leave," Quigley said.